Operation EDOTENSAI
by FrostFire15
Summary: [AU RealWorldZombieApocalypse]. The Akatsuki has launched a horrifying attack against the proud city of Konoha. Society collapses and bodies pile in the streets. Sakura learns to appreciate a good hand-gun, Naruto contemplates morality and mortality, and Sasuke just wants to go home.
1. 1-1

**Operation EDOTENSAI**

**Part 1 ~ Chapter 1**

_" This is Tsunade, the mayor of Konoha. The terrorist group, the Akatsuki-"_

"What's... that?"

"Oh, thank God, you're awake. I thought you were dead, Idate-"

_"- an attack they call Operation EDOTENSEI. We have gathered information from an inside source- [crackle] -Operation EDOTENSEI is a contagious biological attack. I repeat, a contagious-"_

"Can you stand?"

"Fuck… ow. Shit. I think I have a concussion. My head is pounding…"

"Shh, lay down, its fine. Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"-_infected persons began attacking around 1:00 AM this morning - [crackle] - military is on their way, and Konoha's police force is working hard to protect all of us. Isn't that right, Chief Kakashi?"_

_"That's correct. Everyone, please stay put. Find a secure area, like a room with a lock. We will find you."_

_"So far, we have gathered the following symptoms: extreme aggression, memory loss, and… well, unfortunately, a penchant for cannibalism. Infected beings have no sense of human identity- [crackle] – more than 8 hours can be identified by ashy, flaky skin and black sclera, the area in your eye that is normally white. They are unable to speak, can withstand great injuries, seem impervious to pain, and - [crackle]-"_

"No... I think I'm fine. Where's everyone else? How long have I been out?"

"About an hour. I've been sitting here. They've been looping the same radio message over and over."

_"-original source of infection is currently unknown, but it has spread through saliva and blood- [crackle] - Once it sets in, it is permanent. There is no known cure-"_

"…Sakura."

"…Yes?"

"Where is everyone else?"

"- t_hey are no longer your friends. They are no longer your family. Do not approach them. Do not attempt to reason with them. Do not get bitten. I repeat, do not get-"_

Sakura stood up slowly, adjusted her red tank top, and shut off the radio. "Well," she said carefully. "You remember when those strange men burst through the door and attacked Haku."

"Yeah." Idate replied, gingerly sitting up and wincing. "I don't really know what happened after, though. I think someone pushed me?"

"It was more like… everyone pushed you. They started tearing at Haku and everyone freaked out and rushed for the door. You got trampled. Everyone ran out the door, the two… crazy guys left you alone and chased after them. I locked the door but… God. You could hear the screaming and-" she shuddered and wiped her eyes. "I had no idea what to do. You were breathing though so I've just been here, listening to the radio and waiting for you to wake up."

"…Haku?"

She sniffed and pointed to the bloody pile of flesh in the corner of the room.

Idate gagged. "Shit."

"He's long gone. I checked."

"…So the radio report is right, then. This is just like some… Hollywood zombie flick. Mindless, cannibalistic people running around…" He groaned and laid back down on the floor. "I don't feel good."

Sakura laughed weakly, sitting down and leaning back on a fallen desk. She closed her eyes, sniffling as a tear ran down her check again. "Yeah, I guess. Sort of. One big, fucking movie."

Silence.

"…Idate?" She said, opening her eyes inquisitively and frowning. "You okay?"

He was on his side, shaking. "Don't… feel good." He gasped. Sweat poured down his face and puddled on the ground. He groaned loudly, gripping his head and clawing at his hair. "Sakura…" He wheezed.

"Itate?" Sakura grabbed his shoulders, shaking him lightly.

He staggered to his feet, gripping one of the classroom chairs with a death grip. "Stop." He snarled.

"What?" Sakura shook her head in confusion. "Do you feel nauseous?"

Idate looked up, his eyes dilated and cloudy. He stumbled towards her and growled.

"Oh, fuck." She whispered. "You-"

Quick as a flash, he grabbed her wrist, his fingernails digging painfully into her skin. Sakura screamed and slammed her foot onto his face, hard enough that he was startled into letting go.

She ran for the door, swinging it open and sprinting, slamming the door in Idate's face. Sakura froze outside of the classroom, staring down the hallway. Nothing. _Good_, she thought, relieved. _Nobody else._

Behind the door, Idate howled and pounded away at the wood, snarling through the tiny window at Sakura.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck," Sakura chanted as she ran down the hall. _I can outrun him, right? I can outrun the goddamn fastest member of the track team_.

Behind her, the door slammed open and soon, rapid footsteps and heavy panting began to follow her.

"Shit!" she cursed, increasing speed towards the staircase leading to the cafeteria. Suddenly, her foot slipped on something thick, red, and liquid, sending her knee skidding to the nearby window.

"Fuck!" She yelled, clutching her knee, then froze as Idate sprinted closer and closer.

Acting quickly, she tore the drapes off the window and, with a perfection that surprised herself, threw it in a perfect arc-

-and right onto his head.

He roared in protest, running into the wall and flailing against the heavy fabric that covered his entire upper body.

"Shannaro!" Sakura grinned triumphantly.

_BANG. BANG BANG BANG._

Sakura screamed in shock, clutching her ears and falling to the ground, goosebumps erupting over her entire body at the loud, sudden noises that came from _right behind her._

Idate stumbled and fell, drapes and all, his howls turning into gasping breaths. A puddle of red grew underneath his body, soaking the curtains a sticky scarlet.

"Oh God. Oh, fuck. God." She stammered, clutching her hair. "Who-"

"Hn."

Sakura turned slowly, only to see that tall, dark-haired, handsome guy in her Statistics class standing to her right, cool as a cucumber.

Cool as a cucumber with a _goddamn handgun_.

"W-what… oh my God, oh my fucking God, you shot him." She gasped, pulling at her hair. "Oh my god you killed Idate."

"Tch." He gave her a haughty look. "He was already dead."

She gaped at him. He tucked the gun into the belt-holster on his dark blue jeans, then tucked his hands into the pockets of his black leather jacket.

"H-how did you find me?" She stammered out.

"I heard you scream 'fuck.'" He replied calmly, adjusting the backpack on his shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." She breathed, her heart still pounding, tearing her eyes away from the curtain. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Okay. I'm okay." She took a deep breath. "Thank you… Sasuke, right?"

He nodded, then turned and began to walk up the stairs.

"H-hey, wait!" she stood up and hurried after him. "Where are you going?"

"I was eating in the cafeteria when you interrupted me." He replied coolly.

She fought down a stab of irritation. "I-I didn't interrupt you!" she sputtered indignantly. "You saved my life!"

He said nothing, only giving her a dry look that clearly said _yeah, I did, and now I'm regretting it_.

Growling, Sakura fell silent as they went down the stairs.

Tables and chairs were overturned and knocked over, plates of abandoned breakfast lying spilled on the floor and mashed into the carpet, as well as bodies – some of which were riddled with bullet holes.

Sasuke sat at one of the few, relatively-untouched tables, picked up a fork, and continued eating what was presumably his interrupted lunch.

Sakura awkwardly sat next to him.

Silence.

"…So," Sakura said, "You did those?" She pointed at one of the bodies; this one in particular had a particularly gory hole in his head.

"Hn." Translation: yes.

"…forgive me for asking, but why the fuck did you come to school with a gun?"

He gave her a condescending look. "If," he said slowly, as if speaking to a child," you had seen the news this morning, you would've heard that a number of people were jumped, assaulted, and killed by either total strangers or close family members, beginning at 1 AM this morning. I brought this and the ammo in my bag –" he motioned to his backpack "- because I am always prepared."

"…I can't tell if you're a good planner, or just really fucked up." Sakura breathed in awe.

"Well, this 'fucked-up' guy just saved your stupid life." He snarled. "Now, go away and make both our lives less miserable."

"As much as I wish I could, I'm not. There are perks to sticking with the guy with the gun. The fact that we know each other is just a plus."

He paused mid-bite. "We," he growled, "do _not_ know each other."

"Yes, we do!" She cried. "We've been the same Statistics class for the last 6 months!"

"Shut up!" he hissed, glaring at her. "Do you want every one of those goddamn _things_ to come running when they hear your goddamn screeching?"

"I am NOT-"

"What the fuck did I just say?" He snapped. "Tch. You're so annoying."

Sakura huffed. _What a prick._ She thought viciously. _Can't believe I ever thought he was cute. He's such an asshole._

Silence.

"…Well, are you going to eat or what." Sasuke said eventually, his voice rough. "Stop looking like such an idiot."

With an annoyed snarl, she swiped the apple off his plate and took a huge bite.

"Sakura," he warned, "I'm serious."

"HA!" She crowed, triumphantly pointing at him. "So you _do_ know me!"

"You're the only person I know with such ridiculous hair." He replied, completely deadpan. "Get your own food."

Grumbling, Sakura got up, and came back moments later with what seemed like an untouched plate of eggs and sausage. "So," she said, anger quelled by the food. "What's your plan?"

He gave her a weary look. She mock-batted her eyelashes. He scoffed, but began to speak.

"After this," he began, pushing crumbs on his plate with his knife, "I plan to go back to my house: the Uchiha Manor. Even with my gun, it's not enough to last much longer in this environment. The police say to wait." He snorted. "I'd rather take my chances. The Manor has near infinite food, more guns, and an electric fence."

He paused. "I believe," he said hesitantly, almost painfully, "That travelling in groups is key to survival. You are not completely incompetent. Your move with the… drapery was…" he struggled for a word, "…convenient. It would, admittedly, be optimal for my survival as well, if you agree to come."

Silence.

"I think," Sakura began slowly, "That's the most I've ever heard you say. Holy shit."

"Just answer the goddamn question." Sasuke snarled.

"Alright, alright. Yes, I'll come. But…" She grinned, pointing at the handgun. "Do I get to try?"

"No." He bit out. "Absolutely not."

She laughed, shoving a forkful of scrambled eggs into her mouth. "So, when do we start?"

"We will raid the kitchen before leaving. "Sasuke said. "What time is it now?"

"About 11 AM." She replied, glancing at her watch. "Raid it for what?"

He sighed. "You'll see. "He grumbled, obviously tired of talking.

They finished eating in a comfortable silence, broken only by Sakura's crunching apple-bites. Sakura pushed images of Idate's body out of her head.

"Ready?" Sasuke said eventually.

"Yep." She replied, plopping the core of the apple on the plate, picking it up, and started walking to the cleaning and trash window.

"…you know that's pointless, right?"

"…Ah. Right. No one to clean it." She set the plate back down sheepishly. "Forgot we're in the middle of a terrorist attack."

He snorted. "Do you have a bag?"

"No, left it downstairs. Should I, or..." She took a random abandoned backpack lying on the ground, and shook out its contents onto the floor. Papers and pencils flooded out. "This works."

He glanced up from his own backpack, as he cleared binders and notebooks out, and nodded.

They shouldered their bags – Sakura's completely empty, and Sasuke's near empty bag save for bullets and a gun. Sakura opened the plain white cafeteria doors. "So, what are we after?" She asked as they walked into the room. "How long will this take, anyway?" She frowned. "Hold on, I know absolutely nothing. Where is your house, how are we getting-"

"Here." Sasuke interrupted, tossing her a box from the table as he opened a drawer.

"Saltines?" She questioned, throwing it haphazardly in her pack.

Sasuke closed the drawer. "I have a car. It might be stolen or wrecked. If not, we can drive part of the way." He opened a cabinet. "We will have to walk for some of it. The manor is right outside the city, about 30 miles away from here."

"Why walk? The streets are practically empty." She said, glancing out the window.

"Konoha has only 3 roads out of the city. Everyone is probably trying to drive out right now, probably to Suna or Oto. There will be bad traffic: 800,000 people trying to leave at the same time. That's why I haven't left campus yet." He tossed her a plastic bag of almonds. "Our school is right in the heart of Konoha. Of course no one would be here."

"Lady Tsunade said to stay put." Sakura mumbled, fumbling with the pack of nuts.

Sasuke snorted. "You really believe in that bullshit?"

"Yeah, I do!" She countered indignantly. "Didn't you hear the radio report? Why can't we just wait for the police?"

He sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Look, I only have 5 full magazines left." Sakura gave him a blank look. "50 bullets." He explained shortly, and then continued. "But still. The first attacks began at 1 AM this morning. It's been 10 hours, and everything's shit. Do the police look effective to you?"

Sakura didn't respond.

"30 miles is a bit far. I don't know how long it will take, but I don't want to take chances, especially since we might have… encounters."

"So, dry food then?" Sakura grabbed a bag of granola. "Water, too." She opened a final drawer, pulling out a thick frying pan. "Since you won't let me use the gun, this might be useful."

Sasuke raised a single eyebrow. "That looks pretty heavy."

"I was on Varsity Softball in high school." She replied smugly, hefting the heavy pan onto her shoulder.

"Take this too." Sasuke handed her a carving knife, its blade sheathed in cardboard. She jammed it in her belt.

Sasuke zipped up his bag after putting two bottles of _Zabuza Springs_ water into his backpack. "That's not water." He frowned while Sakura sneakily tucked a pair of "RINGO 100% APPLE JUICE" juice boxes into a side pocket on hers.

She smiled sheepishly.

He sighed, rolling his eyes. "Don't make it too heavy. You might need to run." He warned.

"You're lucky I'm on the track team then." She replied cheekily.

He ignored that. "Anything else?"

"Maybe that first-aid kit over there." She ripped the small, plastic box off the wall, threw it in, and zipped the bag up. "So, where's your car?"

"The parking lot outside." He loaded his gun, slamming a full magazine into the grip. "Let's go."

The pair walked out the kitchen and out of the cafeteria. Sakura gnawed on her bottom lip, the palm holding the frying pan sweaty. Sasuke led the way, face impassive and emotionless as usual, one hand in his jacket pocket, the other holding the gun loosely by his side.

They half-ran down the back staircase, keeping their footsteps as light as possible, ears perked for any human or non-human sounds. Occasionally, they passed by bodies, faces torn and limbs in awkward angles. Sakura tried not to stare.

They finally got to the last steps, the emergency exit door blocking them from the outside.

Sasuke pushed the door handle cautiously; when no alarm sounded, he continued, the door opening enough so a sliver of life came through. He peered through the crack, the pushed the door even further and slipped through. Sakura followed, silent as a shadow.

The parking lot was nearly empty, a few skid marks on the ground, apparently from someone trying to drive out as quickly as possible. A few abandoned bodies were crumpled on the ground, some with minimal wounds, others missing whole limbs. A few cars were still parked in the lot, abandoned. A red pick-up truck with a broken window, a small silver car. The front door of a black SUV was still open, a body slumping in the front seat.

Sakura shivered, avoiding the face.

"Do you see yours?" She whispered.

He nodded, when suddenly-

Something moved inside the silver car.

A turned person howled at them from inside, her heavy panting flecking spittle on the side window. She clawed at the glass, her skin flaky and dry, eyes wild and glassy.

Sakura jumped, but, to her credit, did not scream, only breathing a startled "fuck!" and accidentally tapping Sasuke on the thigh with the frying pan.

She watched the girl with a breathless, horrified fascination, half-expecting her to tear out of the car and killer her when she realized-

_Oh no_. She thought, dread making her heart plunge to the ground. _She's forgotten how to get out._

The girl screeched again, the whites of her eyes dyed an inky black.

"Let's go, before she attracts others." Sasuke snapped, grabbing her wrist and breaking her out of her hypnosis.

They scrambled further through the parking lot, Sasuke warily glancing about, until the muffled yowls fade away.

That's when she saw it.

It was black as midnight, but reflected the sun like a mirror. The front end was dented and one of the side mirrors hung limply by a single wire – the handiwork of panicking, driving teenagers in a terrorist attack – but, as Sasuke deftly unlocked the car, Sakura couldn't help but admire its silky curves as she automatically opened the door to the shot-gun seat.

She slid onto the softest, smoothest leather seat she ever sat on, ignoring the way the black, sun-soaked material burned the back of her bare thighs.

The engine purred to life, and she ruefully thought of her old high school car she affectionately called "the Croaker."

Sasuke maneuvered through the parking lot with a precision and grace Sakura never achieved, and yet, she couldn't help but wonder…

"This is it?"

He raised a single, dark eyebrow.

"No offense, but I was kind of expecting a sports car."

"This is the newest model." He said, bemused. "Only out for 2 months."

"It's nice." Sakura agreed. "But it's still… just a car." She paused. "Doesn't that other rich kid, Kenji Hyuuga, have that new Ferrari?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, one hand resting casually on the wheel as they zoomed off campus. "It's Neji." He grumbled. Sakura grinned at him. He flicked his black bangs out of his eyes and gave her a flat look in return.

The car grew silent, Sasuke speeding through abandoned streets while Sakura preoccupied herself with gazing out the window.

There were fallen, crushed bodies littering the ground, buildings with doors flung open, empty and haunting. Occasionally, humanoid shapes howled and tried to chase after the car, but were quickly left behind.

The car flew out the gates of Konoha University, without trouble. Sakura hummed quietly, hugging her backpack on her lap. Sasuke absently switched on the left turn signal as he changed lanes.

She gave him a funny look. "You know that's pointless, right?" She teased.

He ignored her, narrowing his eyes at the road ahead of them. He frowned. "Fuck."

Sakura followed his gaze, squinting through the windshield.

A police car appeared in the distance, its lights flashing blue and red. Two figures dressed in black were leaning on the back, one of them standing up as they approached.

"Policemen!" Sakura exclaimed.

Sasuke didn't reply, his eyes darkening as he shifted his gun holster, hiding it from view.

The standing policeman waved at them to stop. Sasuke gritted his teeth, and the car slowed to a halt, one policeman at Sasuke's side, the other peering through Sakura's window.

"Hi there!" An officer said cheerfully, waving to Sakura through Sasuke's window.

"Hi. Oh, man, thank God you're here." Sakura stammered. "I never thought I'd see any of you."

"A little late evacuating the city, are we?" The officer said, adjusting his police hat over his chin-length, silvery hair, smiling charmingly. The other officer was silent, one dark eye shifting around warily, his other eye hidden beneath a dark brown, nearly black, bang.

"Yeah…" Sakura replied sheepishly, glancing at Sasuke. He glared back. She frowned. _ What's his problem?_

"So, we just need to ask you a few questions before we send you on your way."

"Send us… on our way?" Sakura repeated incredulously. "You're not coming with us?"

The officer gave her a pitying smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "We have to look for other survivors, sorry. Now," He and his partner pulled out notebooks. "We have a few questions, if you don't mind."

"Um, sure." Sakura replied.

"Where is your destination?" The other man asked sharply.

"We were heading to his house, but I was hoping you could tell us about some kind of shelter? The radio report seemed to imply that the police would take care of us."

They ignored her. "Food?" The silver-haired one asked.

"We brought some, yeah." Sakura could feel Sasuke's eyes burning into the side of her head. _What?_ She thought, glaring back.

"Firearms?"

"Yes."

"No."

Sakura and Sasuke said at the same time, glowering at each other once again. The officers frowned.

"I said, 'Do you have firearms.'" The officer at Sakura's window asked slowly. "What caliber."

And suddenly, something in Sasuke's eyes changed. No hostility. No haughtiness.

A warning.

And then, it clicked.

These officers… Something wasn't right.

She nodded, barely moving her head. He blinked back.

"Alright. You have three fucking seconds to hand me your guns." The younger policeman snarled, his formerly-charming voice now dark and threatening. "One-"

Sasuke slammed on the acceleration petal, speeding past the officers and running over their feet. One hopped around holding his run-over foot, cursing loudly, while the other pulled out his gun and shot, breaking the glass of the left-side mirror.

"They're not cops! Who the fuck are they?" Sakura yelled.

"Don't know." He replied shortly, gritting his teeth as they tore through the streets.

"They're following us." She glanced through the back window, staring at the police car racing behind them, jumping when the window shattered because of a stray bullet.

"Keep your head down!" Sasuke roared, spinning the wheel and making the tires squeal.

Bullets whizzed past the car, occasionally hitting with dull thunks. They weaved through the abandoned down-town, making harrowing turns and twists, trying to lose the 'cops' but with no luck.

Suddenly, the car started vibrating intensely, groaning so deeply her whole body seemed to shake.

"What's happening?!"

"They got the back tires." Sasuke growled. "Hold on." They made one last turn, almost colliding with a mass of cars abandoned on the side street.

"Come on, let's fucking move!" He hissed, violently kicking the car door open.

The pair ran, weaving through the cars and glancing behind them. Sasuke dragged Sakura into a nearby alley, crouching behind a few trashcans.

Seconds later, they heard the sound of screeching tires and two car doors being opened and slammed shut.

Footsteps.

"Nice shots, Yura."

"Thanks."

"Now, where did they fucking go?"

"You should've driven faster, Mizuki."

"Ah, go fuck yourself. I thought you were going to shoot them out earlier. They were literally right in front of us, for fuck's sake-"

"Lower your voice! You are only going to attract the Infected."

"The Flakies? Eh. I'm not afraid of them. You've got your gun, I've got my Glock. Captain Kisame said we were more than prepared."

Sasuke stiffened beside her.

"Ptch. You know what? Might as well enjoy ourselves. Whatddya say?"

Their voices faded a bit. Footsteps, then shattering glass. A dog barking. A gunshot, then a pained yelp.

"Wow, Yura." Mizuki said, sounding impressed.

"I hate animals." Came a clipped reply.

The sound of a refrigerator opening, clinking bottles.

"What do they have?"

"Water, soda, beer, milk..."

"Gimme the beer. C'mon, you get one too. Relax."

"I'll just have water."

A pause.

"Yura." Mizuki said slowly. "What are you drinking?"

"Water. I already told-"

A dull splash as the bottle was knocked from his hands.

"You fucking idiot." He cut off harshly. "Didn't you hear Captain Itachi's orders?"

Sasuke jerked, almost knocking over a trash can.

"What's wrong with you?" Sakura hissed. He didn't reply, color draining from his face.

"Did you hear that?"

"Mizukage water." Mizuki snapped, ignoring Yura's comment. "You're drinking Mizu-fucking-kage bottled water. That's the fucking water we fucking infected."

Coughing and gagging, and the sound of water splattering onto the ground "No." Yura gasped, "You're lying. No. W-what are you doing." He said, his voice turning wary.

"Sorry, flakie."

_BANG._

A shot, followed by a sickening crunch and a strangled scream.

Sakura felt sick, automatically grabbing Sasuke's arm, squeezing it tight. He tried tugging away, giving up when she did not let go.

Tense silence. Neither moved, barely breathing, listening.

Finally, they heard footsteps gradually coming closer.

The pair squished even further behind the trashcans as Mizuki passed the alleyway, looking as normal as can be, one hand with a thumb casually hooked on his belt, the other holding a half-empty bottle of beer.

He passed out of sight, footsteps growing quieter and quieter on the concrete sidewalk. The steps faded out completely, only to be replaced with the wheeze of ignition and the hum of an engine.

The car drove away.

They relaxed. Sakura stood and slumped on the cold, red brick walls of the alley; she let out a relieved sigh, Sasuke silent next to her.

They stared at each other, forgetting their bickering for a moment: Sakura's eyes wide and shocked, Sasuke's showing a glimmer of fear, but only for a second.

"Stop staring at me." He grumbled, stalking past the trash bins.

"Wasn't staring." Sakura muttered, following him to the street.

They were in downtown Konoha, in a street famous for expensive, world-class boutiques, restaurants, and cafes, as well as a few luxury apartments.

They walked past Sakura's favorite frozen-yogurt shop and the sushi joint Sakura's old high school friend Ino dragged her to every month. Now, the yogurt shop was empty, its windows shattered and tables askew. The sushi café's formerly neat outdoor seating was a pile of broken chairs and upturned dishes. Flies flitted around on abandoned rolls of raw fish.

Sakura sighed, adjusting her backpack, while Sasuke stopped and knelt down, frowning.

"What are you doing?!" She nearly yelped.

"Seeing if he had anything useful." Sasuke replied shortly, checking the pockets of the bloody mess that used to be Yura.

Sakura swallowed thickly and turned away, bile rising up her throat at the sight of splattered brain-matter. "Anything?"

"The other one, Mizuki, took the gun, the ammo… Nothing useful."

She nodded and started walking, her feet carrying her automatically through the street.

"Sakura, wait."

"Yeah?"

"We need to plan."

She nodded. "Okay. Let's go somewhere a little less exposed. "_And away from Yura._ She thought, shivering.

They walked into a designer clothing store that Sakura always admired but never could afford, manikins tumbling out of the broken front window, pretty silk dresses and seven-hundred-dollar jackets dirty and torn on the crushed glass and sidewalk.

Sasuke kicked aside a fallen rack of jeans, clearing a path to the side of the store. The pair sat on the floor, their backs to the wall.

"So." She said.

"So," he began, "You heard the officers."

"Yeah." She curled up, hugging her knees to her chest. "The water. They… infected the bottled water."

He nodded, tearing his backpack open and pulling out their water. "Zabuza Springs." He read.

"Do you think it's safe?" She asked, peering into the liquid.

He shrugged. "It's not Mizukage."

"I still feel kind of… uneasy about this."

For the first time, he smiled at her, tight-lipped and wry. "Me too."

"Well, if we get thirsty, I've always got my apple juice." She smiled back.

His smirk disappeared, and he rubbed his eyes. "Listen… we're still far. We didn't get to drive for very long."

She frowned. "Can we use your car?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Not with two back tires shot. Can't outdrive the fake-officers."

She sighed. "We've got a while then, huh."

"Prepare to stay up until night."

She huffed, glaring at his leather jacket and long jeans, then stared down at her shorts and red tank-top. "Gimme a second." She grumbled, strolling through the shop. Sakura picked up a practical khaki button-up trenchcoat from the ground, dusting it off.

"What do you think?" She asked while pulling it on, twisting around and testing her mobility.

He rolled his eyes. She glared.

"It's acceptable." He bit out, grudgingly.

She grinned. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun," She cooed teasingly, brushing past him and swishing the back of the long coat theatrically.

She heard Sasuke snort behind her.

_Finally_, Sakura thought, amused, stepping through the store. _I guess the prick can laugh after all._

- Operation EDOTENSAI - to be continued –

* * *

Please review, even if you didn't like it. I want to improve my writing, and I can't do that without your help.

Thanks and happy reading!


	2. 1-2

**Operation EDOTENSAI**

**Part 1 ~ Chapter 2**

Sakura sprinted up the stairs, taking two at a time, her coat flaring out behind her as she leaped, her breath coming in burning gasps.

Her knees ached. Her arms ached from hitting flakies with the frying pan, which was now lying abandoned at the bottom of the staircase. Her ears rang from the seemingly-endless gunshots Sasuke fired at the truly-endless flakes charging up the stairs behind them.

Sasuke was right on her heels, shooting methodically into the crowd. A flakie screamed as the bullet tore through its eye and into its brain, blood splattering on the back staircase's concrete floor.

"Sakura," Sasuke yelled over the screeching and the bullets. "How much farther?"

"Almost there!" She shouted back, pointing to a door above their heads.

He grimaced. "Run faster," he growled, tearing up the stairs. "There's too many."

"Shoot them then!" she gasped, kicking a flakie who grabbed her jacket.

Sasuke swung the door open, shoving Sakura out before slamming it shut. The flakies on the other side howled, their pounding fists booming on the metal door.

The pair squinted in the bright sunlight. "I think we're on the roof."

"Hn." Sasuke stared at her. "Hurt?"

"No, you?"

He shook his head. "N-"

"Great job, fuckers. Leading the flakies straight to us… Fucking fantastic." A voice sneered.

The pair spun around, startled.

A group of 5 teenagers were on the other side; one of them – a girl – was the one who spoke, her red hair sticking out from under a black hat. A pair of silver-haired twins stood next to her, one holding a fire-ax and the other carrying a police baton. Sitting on the edge of the building was a darker-skinned kid with dark chestnut hair and a gun, which made Sakura nervous. Finally, the largest, fattest guy Sakura ever saw smirked down at them, his face visible from behind all of them, holding… a riot shield?

"No need to be rude, Tayuya." One of the twins said, scolding the girl. "We should be grateful. Who knows what they might have in those backpacks."

"Hopefully food." The big one muttered.

"Probably food." The other twin said.

"So, tell us about yourselves before the flakies finally break through that door." The guy with the gun called.

"I'm Sakura, and this is Sasuke." Sakura replied shortly. "We're not here to fight."

"That's Jirobo, Sakon, Ukon, and Tayuya. I'm Kidomaru." The dark-haired one purred, attempting seduction. "_I'm_ not here to fight either, babe."

Before Sakura could reply, the metal door gave way and the infected people poured through.

With a flash, they sprung into action, slaughtering them with ease. Sasuke shoved Sakura behind him, shooting as Jirobo alternated between smashing them with the riot-shield and forcing them off the edge of the building. Sakon and Ukon merely swung their way through the crowd, breaking skulls and bones. Tayuya stayed near the back, stabbing wayward infected with a knife, and Kidomaru covered her, shooting any that came too near.

As they fought, Sasuke grabbed Sakura's hand, trying to sneak back to the entrance of the building through the confusion, when Sakura felt a blunt jab on the side of her head and a strong arm curl around her stomach.

"Sas-" She yelled, a hand slapping across her mouth and cutting her off.

Sasuke spun around, his eyes wide and furious as Sakura was dragged away backwards with a gun against her head.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Her assailant, Kidomaru, crowed in her ear as she screamed into his hand. "Cut that out. I mean, I'll kill you if you resist and stuff but jeez, talk about over-reacting, you pussy…"

"Let go of her." Sasuke snapped, raising his gun.

"Yeah, right." One of the twins laughed.

"No more jokes now." Kidomaru ordered. "Let go of your gun, or I blow her head off."

Sasuke hesitated, then, with a look of disgust, dropped the gun.

"Not looking too tough now, eh, handsome?" The girl - presumably Tayuya - sneered, scurrying over and picking up the gun, "Hand us your shit and well leave you alone, right, guys?" The four guys behind her nodded and leered unconvincingly, Ukon looking particularly smug as she handed him the firearm.

Something flashed in Sasuke's eyes. _Oh no_. Sakura thought, full of dread as her mind tried to think of ways to escape their horrible situation. _Sasuke…_

"Like I'll take orders from a little kid like you." He sneered right back with a bravado Sakura certainly did not feel, and her stomach swooped to her feet.

Tayuya's face contorted into an ugly snarl. "Shut the fuck up, you sack of shit! I'm fucking 18!" She whipped out something that looked almost like a gun, but not quite...

With a crack, wires shot out her taser, sticking Sasuke in the chest with strange, snapping sounds, and the Uchiha fell with a strangled yell, his knees giving in immediately.

He gasped senselessly like a fish out of water, every muscle in his body tense, nearly falling over the edge of the building. Sakura gave a muffled scream, bile rising in her throat, until he eventually stopped, sweat coating his whole body as he gulped in air.

"Damn, Tayuya." Kidomaru said, amused, his gun limp at his side, forgotten in the excitement. "That was hardcore."

"What a douchebag." She spat, baring her teeth at Sasuke, who glared back.

Sensing a moment of weakness, Sakura shoved Kidomaru away, running to Sasuke, ripping the taser darts out of his chest and dragging him to an upright position. "What the hell is wrong with you?" She hissed at Tayuya.

"He fucking deserved it, you dumb broad."

"Aah, can't you both just shut up." Jirobo groaned. "C'mon, let's just fucking kill them."

The five closed in menacingly.

"Any ideas?" Sakura breathed, pulling Sasuke into a standing position.

"None." He spat, still leaning heavily on her shoulder.

Sakura tensed, getting ready to either jump off the edge or try running through them with brute force, when-

_Splat!_

A yellow water balloon smacked Sakon on the cheek, exploding onto his face. "My eyes!" He screamed, dropping his fire-axe, clawing and scrubbing his face with his jacket sleeve. "Oh fuck!"

"HEADSHOT! Yeah! Datte-fucking-bayo, assholes!" A loud voiced crowed from their left.

Standing on a slightly-taller building was a blond figure in the brightest orange sweatshirt Sakura had ever seen. He grinned down mischievously at them, holding a water balloon in each hand. "That was lemon juice." He informed Sakon sagely, "You should probably wash it out with cold tap water."

"You put lemon juice in a water balloon?" Kidomaru said incredulously, right before he was smacked in the face with another balloon. A lumpy, white liquid exploded out, coating his face and shoulders, stinking up the area. "Oh my god." He wheezed, falling to his knees and reaching, eventually emptying the contents of his stomach onto the roof.

"I also put sour milk in a water balloon." The kid grinned. "It's crazy what you can find in your fridge!"

Howling with rage, the un-hindered members scrambled after the blond, Sakura and Sasuke forgotten. He laughed and ran, jumping over from roof to roof, firing off an infinite amount of balloons filled with what appeared to be fruit punch, more lemon juice, and...glue? Good grief, where did he keep all of them?

"C'mon," Sasuke hissed, swiping Kidomaru's dropped gun and delivering a hard, knock-out kick to Kidomaru's head, who squished into his own vomit with a yelp. "Let's go."

"Wait, no, we can't just leave him!" Sakura replied, staring after the jumping, laughing blond.

"He knew what he was doing." Sasuke insisted. "Come on!"

He grabbed her hand and they jumped from rooftop to rooftop, easily crossing the tiny gaps between the buildings

Eventually, they reached a separation too wide, and raced down a nearby fire escape staircase, only to run into-

"Stop." A figure at the bottom snarled. It was Tayuya, nearly unrecognizable with her hat lost, eyes a raw, teary red, and hair stuck together in hard, gluey clumps. She whipped out Sasuke's stolen handgun. "Finally lost that orange idiot." she smirked. "Now, I want your backpacks-"

Sasuke raised Kidomaru's loaded gun.

Her eyes widened. "Shit. That's-that's our gun!"

"It's actually not." He corrected her sarcastically. "This is a Glock 22, standard-issue gun of the Konoha police force. You stole this from a police officer, didn't you."

She narrowed her eyes, snarling fiercely. "I've still got your gun, you stupid fuck."

"Do you know how guns work?" Sasuke said scornfully, his voice cold and brittle as ice. "You aren't holding it right, nor have you noticed the missing magazine."

"The missing what?"

"The missing magazine." Sasuke drawled, pulling the aforementioned object out of his pocket. "The gun isn't loaded. I removed it and you didn't even notice. You have no bullets, you 'stupid fuck'. I, however, have 15 in my hand."

She glared at him, her face nearly matching the color of her hair.

"Drop the gun." He commanded, gesturing with the Glock. "Go up the fire exit and go back to your friends. Do it."

Anger burning in her eyes, she threw the gun down and stalked past them, stomping up the stairs.

"For a legal adult, you act like such a child." He chided her sarcastically. Her shoulders stiffened at the remark, but soon disappeared as she stepped beyond the roof.

Sakura let out the breath she was holding. "God." She breathed. "Sasuke..."

He raised a single eyebrow. "Hn?"

"You are a lifesaver." She laughed weakly.

His lips twitched upward so quickly Sakura thought she might have imagined it.

"Are you alright?" She asked, glancing warily at the rooftop, half expecting a few (or five) leering faces staring down at them.

"Fine." Sasuke picked up the gun and rubbed the spot on his chest where the taser darts struck him. He frowned down at her. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. I'm lucky they weren't very good at hostage-taking though." Sakura joked. "I can't believe she tased you."

Sasuke gave her a tight smile. "She is a little sensitive about her height." He sighed. "We should hurry. She'll be back soon for revenge."

"Yeah, she's not really the type to give up." A voice came from inside the building in front of them.

The blond from earlier climbed out a window and jumped down the fire escape, landing infront of them with a wide grin. "Sup? You like the balloons?"

Sakura laughed. "Yeah, I did."

He grinned back at her in a staggeringly familiar way.

"Do... Do I know you?" Sakura said, staring at the blond, with his big blue eyes and bright orange hoodie.

"Hmmm." The kid stared back, his eyes narrowed and his lips pouting, forming a parody of deep thinking as he stroked his chin. "Pink hair. Big forehead-"

"-HEY!"

"Bigger temper. Yup, definitely Sakura Haruno!" He straightened up, grinning widely. "It's been a few years, eh, Sakura?"

Her eyes widened. "Naruto!" She exclaimed, hugging him. "Wow! You've grown so tall!" She added staring up at his face.

Naruto smiled back sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, you saw me before I hit puberty, so-"

Before Sakura could smack Naruto's arm, Sasuke's sardonic voice interrupted them from behind.

"Sorry," he said unapologetically, "but you know this idiot?"

"Yeah," she exclaimed, not even bothering to correct him on the idiot part. Luckily, Naruto didn't notice. "We went to school together until, what, 7th grade?"

"Yeah, I think so." Naruto beamed. "I'm sorry I didn't see you guys sooner. Those guys think they're some kind of gang. They're real assholes."

"It's fine." Sasuke replied shortly, "We were doing fine on our own."

Naruto snorted. "Not where I was... Standing..." He drifted off, frowning at Sasuke's belt. "W-what- I-is that a-another gun?" He yelped. "W-what are you, some kind of gangster?!"

He spun around, grabbing Sakura by the shoulders and shaking her. "S-Sakura, oh Kami, what have you been getting up to when I was gone? Are you seriously into that mafia kind of stuff? You wanted to be a doctor, what happen-"

"Naruto!" She grabbed his shoulders. "Relax! Sasuke and I are just traveling together to his house; it's a good thing he has his gun or else we wouldn't have any protection from those poor infected people! Sasuke's not in a gang-" she glanced behind her for confirmation. He raised a single eyebrow but nodded curtly. "-and he's saved my life, like, three times now. Why are you still in the city?! How haven't you been attacked yet?" She paused, looking at Naruto's blank face. "...You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you."

"No idea." He supplied cheerfully.

They gaped at him; even Sasuke looked extremely perturbed.

"What have you been doing all day...?"

"Well, I was skipping school and dropping some water balloons on people's heads. That's my favorite rooftop there. I guess I fell asleep, because one moment I was making a soda bomb, then, the next thing I knew, I heard yelling coming from you guys. I heard you scream 'fuck.'" He told Sakura proudly.

She ignored that. "So you don't know about the terrorist bio weapon, the attacks, the mindless cannibalism, and the shut down and abandonment of the city."

Naruto frowned. "Is that why it's so quiet?"

A pause.

"Sakura," Sasuke said wearily, "Do we really have to bring him?"

* * *

"Lucky for us," Sasuke began, loading bullets into the magazine of his old gun, "We have two fully functional guns now."

Naruto and Sakura perked up from their heated game of traveling-and-staying-quiet-while-trying-to-avoid-cannibal-crazies-Rock-Paper-Scissors. "Two guns?" They crowed cheerfully.

He glared at them.

"...Two guns?" They whispered.

He nodded, satisfied with the volume level, and handed Sakura his old gun. "Here. Mine is lighter than the police gun. It's fully loaded; they have the same caliber, so stay by me if you want more in your mag."

She blinked, holding the gun awkwardly in the palm of her hands.

Sasuke sighed, frustrated. "Different guns, same bullets." He said shortly.

"Why did _she_ get the gun?" Naruto whined.

"Y-yeah, why did I get the gun?"

Sasuke gave them a flat look. "Because," he explained patiently, turning to Naruto, "You're an idiot."

"Hold the gun with both hands," Sasuke instructed as they walked through Konoha Gardens, demonstrating with his firearm, "If you don't, the recoil will throw your arm." He frowned at her form, slowing his walk and stepping behind her. They stopped. Sasuke took her hands and brought her back against his chest. He extended their arms together, the firearm at the end pointing straight. "Shoot like this." He muttered into her ear. She shivered involuntarily.

"Don't be nervous. It will mess up your shot."

"I'm not nervous." She grumbled, feeling the heat of an embarrassed blush creeping up her neck. _C'mon, hormones_, she thought furiously, _this is a bad time._

He gave her a questioning look. She glared.

"Fine," he glowered, his voice blank, "Miss your shots. I don't care." Sasuke pulled away, sliding his hands in his pockets.

Sakura frowned after him. "What's his problem."

"What," Naruto whispered, "He doesn't always act like he has an icicle up his butt?"

Sasuke stiffened ahead of them. Naruto grinned at her. Sakura smiled back half-heartedly.

* * *

"Great Kami, what are these things?"

"...Naruto, those are raisins."

"What the hell is a 'raisin'? They look like boogers. Well, maybe like a booger after a nosebleed; boogers are usually kinda yellowish and these are like reddish-"

"-NARUTO UGH SHUT UP THAT'S SO GROSS-"

"Ow! Sakura!"

"-_shut the hell up both of you_-"

"-Sorry SASS-KAY I'm trying to fill my head with LEARNING-"

"-it's not learning if you're still a _moron_ afterwards-"

"-HEY, BASTARD, I'LL SHOW YOU MORON-"

"-boys, enough! Naruto, you said you were hungry. Eat the goddamn raisins or give them back to me. Sasuke, stop antagonizing him."

"Tch. Fine. Idiot."

"Bastard."

"What did I just say?"

Grumbled apologies.

Silence.

"...But seriously, guys... where do raisins come from?"

* * *

BANG.

Sakura nearly screamed as her gun went off, the bullet slamming onto the flakie's chest; the infected man roared, red spittle running down his chin as blood gushed from his new wound.

She backed up, shooting again, most of the bullets flying to the left and taking chunks out of statue behind him. It took three more tries before she got him; he staggered, falling to his knees and gurgled. Blood everywhere.

She stared at him and thought of Idate and Haku, gun forgotten in her hand. _My first kill_. She though numbly. _Well, with a gun, though I don't think I killed anyone with the frying pan._ Sakura tentatively searched her emotions for regret, or sadness. Nothing. Just sick.

She turned away from the body and was greeted with the sight of Sasuke calmly gunning down two infected people that dared come their way.

_How can he do that?_ She thought, looking away as blood spewed out of one of their heads._ Just stand there all cool and..._

The shooting stopped. Something tall blocked the sun from her face.

"Hurt?" The shadow asked.

She shook her head, looking down at her feet. "No." Hopefully the shadow wouldn't notice her hands. Her hands wouldn't stop shaking. She carefully placed the gun in her new holster and clasped her hands together. _Stop shaking._ She thought. _Be cool. Be calm. It's fine. You're tough._

"Are you hurt?" She asked the shadow politely.

He shook his head, the sun peeking out from behind his black, spiky hair. He glanced at the body behind her. "It's okay." The shadow said quietly, and paused. The words did not come easily for him. "It... makes me sick."

She stared up at him, her face twisting in a mixture of relief and anguish as the adrenaline wore off. She sniffed quietly and dragged her sleeve over her eyes, soaking up loose tears. He stared back, one arm lifting tentatively as if to reassure her, but he seemed to think better of it and pulled back.

He straightened up, looking distant once more. "You should get Naruto." He motioned to the orange figure on the other side of the street.

She nodded, a little surprised by the sudden stab of disappointment.

Sakura found Naruto with a blood splattered base ball bat, staring down at a mess of broken body, bones, and...something that appeared to be part of a brain.

She stopped behind him, opening her mouth to say something when...

"I knew him." Naruto said lowly.

She sucked in a breath. "Oh, Naruto, I'm so sorry..."

"I hated his guts." He continued. "He owned the shop across the street. He thought I was stealing candy when I was a little kid and never let it go." Naruto smirked ruefully. "He used to sic his dogs on me, that fucker. And now he's dead." His gaze met Sakura's, and Naruto smiled so wide that it became more a baring of teeth, rather than a grin. His eyes scrunched up into little lines. "I hate this."

It was too much. Sakura hugged him swiftly with a choked sob, and cried.

Despite the smile, he cried too.

* * *

"What about this one?" Naruto shouted from the driver's seat of a red pick-up truck, the driver door busted off and the front crunched in.

"If you can find a key, sure." Sakura replied, staring longingly at a little silver sports car that had gone straight through a shop window. "Sasuke, what about that one?"

He shook his head. "Everything is either completely busted or keyless. Anyone know how to hotwire a car?" He asked dryly.

Suddenly, an infected came screaming out a store behind Sasuke, dried blood and papery skin flaking off its face. It used to be a man wearing a designer business suit, and it snarled and ran at them on its hands and feet, fashionable navy tie hanging off its neck and dragging in the dust. The two pivoted around, whipping out their guns and shooting it mid-roar, its call turning into a strangled cry. It hit the ground, fresh blood streaming out its side and soaking into the asphalt.

Sakura grimaced at the sight and holstered the gun.

"Your aim is better every time." Sasuke said quietly.

She opened her mouth to reply, but the words refused to come. A dark sickness settled in the pit of her stomach.

"Guys!" Naruto poked his head out of the red truck. The engine vroomed to life. "Keys!"

Sakura's jaw dropped. "Seriously?" She nearly squealed. "Naruto, you're a life saver!"

They ran over; Sakura flung open the door on the shotgun side, and blinked. "Oh. Um, there's only two seats."

Sasuke sighed, climbing up and sitting down. "Just sit on me." He muttered.

"Ah… Okay." Holding the door, she swung into the car and delicately sat in his lap.

"Guys! Which pedal is the break and which one is the acceleration?"

They stared at Naruto. "Do you even know how to drive?"

He laughed sheepishly. "Maybe… not…"

"Ugh. Sasuke, you drive."

"Sweet, Sakura gets to sit on my lap now!" Naruto cheered.

"You. Drive." Sasuke snapped suddenly, pushing Sakura off of him.

"Me?" She squeaked disbelievingly, turning and staring at him.

He nodded, eyes averted.

"Alright," She shrugged, jumping out of the car, Sasuke following.

Sakura pulled herself into the driver's seat, grinning despite the chipped red paint, the crushed front, and the missing door. "This is so cool!"

Silence. "Guys?"

"You go first." Sasuke ordered.

"Hell no! You're not sitting on me!"

"Guys, come on, hurry up." She groaned. "We are so exposed out here…"

"Fine." Naruto grumbled. "This means Sasuke's the girl then."

"Shut up, idiot." He ground out, slamming the door shut.

She pulled out, the engine humming as they started driving down the street.

"Argh, Sasuke, you bastard, why are you so heavy?! You're such a fat-ass!"

Sasuke didn't reply, a muscle twitching in his jaw.

Sakura couldn't help but giggle. He shot her a glare, but only ended up looking more ridiculous, since he was sitting on Naruto's lap, his head hunched down to avoid hitting the ceiling of the car. Sakura laughed out loud.

"So," she said, raising her voice over the wind rushing through the door-less gap. "How far do you think we are?"

"Nearly halfway." Sasuke shouted back.

"Awesome!" Sakura replied, feeling giddy with the wind rushing through her pink hair, the purr of the engine, and the feeling of rapid motion as the destroyed city just zoomed by. "It'll take no time at all!"

**-Operation EDOTENSAI – To Be Continued –**


	3. 1-3

**Operation EDOTENSAI**

**Part 1 ~ Chapter 3**

"Unbelievable." Sasuke muttered.

"This is absolute crap!" Naruto yelled.

"Shut up." Sakura groaned. "Screaming doesn't help anything. Ugh, I wish this car had a door. These fumes are getting to my head."

"Eat." Sasuke replied shortly, pulling out a pre-made sandwich from a plastic grocery bag.

She snatched the sandwich and stuffed it in her mouth. Sakura chewed thoughtfully on the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, brushing crumbs off her red tank top. "This is the worst place for a traffic jam." She mumbled. "A fucking tunnel."

"Where did all of these people come from?" Naruto growled, swinging his arm, at the endless sea of cars on filling all four lanes on both ends, honey dripping off his chin.

"Naruto... Come on, there's honey all over your face..." She groaned. "Don't waste food... I feel bad about stealing it in the first place."

He grinned at her, his teeth covered with peanut butter. She punched him on the arm. "Ow!"

"We didn't steal." Sasuke muttered, taking a dignified sip from an apple juice box. "We raided."

Naruto laughed, rubbing his bruised arm while Sakura frowned. "We literally broke into a store and took it without paying. Stealing." She fumed, taking a huge, angry chomp.

Sasuke snorted. "Forgivable in a terrorist attack. Don't eat if you don't like it." He glanced pointedly at her half-eaten sandwich. Naruto sniggered.

Sakura ignored him. "Seriously, though, how the hell did we end up here? Sasuke, why did you have us taking this route anyway?"

He sighed. "This is the common freeway used to leave the city. Evidentially, everyone is trying to leave right now."

"But these people..." Naruto said staring unabashedly at the passengers of the cars next to them. The driver beside them glared back and flipped him off. "We haven't seen other people. All we've seen are flakies!"

"We were in the heart of the city. Everyone is trying to leave so that would be the first place abandoned." He sighed. "I miscalculated the route. I thought more people would've left by now. Apparently that's not the case."

"Great." Sakura said sarcastically, staring at the dirty, off-white tiles of the tunnel and the flickering florescent lights. "Seriously, this is the worst place for a traffic jam."

"Everyone stay calm, yeah! You'll get to go through shortly!"

The three turned, looking behind them. A police officer was weaving through the lanes, answering questions and shouting the same statement over and over.

"HEY, MR. POLICE OFFICER MAN." Naruto yelled, rolling down the window and waving frantically as the officer walked by.

Sakura and Sasuke tensed as the officer turned to face them, remembering their last encounter with a policeman, but he only smiled back at Naruto, smirked at Sasuke on his lap, and flicked his ridiculously long blond hair from his face. "What can I do for you, yeah?"

"Why is the traffic so freaking bad?" Naruto asked.

"We are doing routine checks at the exit of the tunnel." He replied. "There's a lot of people so be patient, yeah."

"How patient?" Sasuke cut in.

"Eh... 'Bout 20 more minutes from your distance." The officer smiled benignly and continued on his way.

"...Honestly I don't believe him. We've been sitting in the exact same spot for at least 30 minutes already." Sakura grumbled, watching him walk away.

They fell into an easy silence; The hum of numerous car engines filled the air. Naruto was too preoccupied on his triple-decker honey-and-peanut butter to speak: A rare occurrence indeed.

She fiddled with the radio, popping the last of the sandwich in her mouth, but nothing came out but static. _Probably because we're underground. And also a terrorist attack._

"What time is it?" Sasuke asked quietly.

"About 6 o'clock." She replied absently, checking if her favorite music station was available. It was not.

Sasuke sighed, scooting forward on Naruto's lap. "If you get honey on me, I'm going to kill you." He said disdainfully.

Before Naruto could retort, a young man with long, dark hair and astonishingly pale eyes appeared at Sakura's side of the car.

"Hello," he said politely, "I am in the car behind you. I was wondering-" he stopped, seemingly startled, then smirked. "Uchiha."

"Hyuuga." Sasuke spat back, "What do you want."

He raised his dark eyebrows. "I'm glad to see you've survived too." His pale eyes narrowed. "What are you doing on that poor kid's lap?"

Naruto let out a bark of laughter as Sasuke's countenance darkened. "There wasn't enough room in the car and I had to drive." Sakura cut in quickly, glancing at Sasuke's furious face. "Hi, I'm Sakura." She said cheerfully, sticking out her hand.

"I'm Naruto!" Naruto called from under Sasuke.

"Neji." He replied smoothly, and Sakura blinked in surprised when she recognized the name. They shook, and Sakura could've sworn his hand lingered on hers a moment longer than necessary.

"Anyway, what did you need?" She asked.

"I only heard a snippet of your conversation with the officer. How long did he say it would be?"

"He said about twenty minutes from our distance."

"I don't believe him." Naruto mock-whispered.

The corners of Neji's lips twitched up. "Yes, he hasn't given us much reason to, has he." He glanced back at his car. "I should go. My cousin, Hinata, is waiting for me."

Naruto stuck his head out of the window and waved eagerly at the car behind them. Sakura, glancing at the rear view mirror, could see a timid looking girl tentatively wave back.

"We've had a rough day." Neji said, watching his cousin. "Hopefully we will survive and meet again soon. Well, goodbye, Sakura. It was a pleasure." He smiled at her. "Naruto, Uchiha."

"Go fuck yourself." Sasuke muttered.

Neji responded with his most condescending smirk, and walked away.

"I hate him." Sasuke scowled. Naruto and Sakura stared at him. "What?"

Naruto shook his head in disbelief. "He's like..."

"Exactly like you." Sakura finished.

"Only with girlier hair and weird eyes." Naruto added thoughtfully

"And he's a lot nicer." Sakura said.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. more talkative too."

Sasuke frowned. "What do you mean, 'nicer'? And why did you say 'girlier' not 'girly'. My hair isn't girly."

"Whatever makes you sleep at night." Naruto snickered.

"Shut up, idiot." Sasuke snapped, whipping his head around to glare at Naruto. "At least I don't dress like I'm colorblind."

"At least my hair doesn't look like a chicken ass, bastard." Naruto shot back.

"Naruto, Sasuke, come on, stop it." Sakura groaned, resting her forehead on the steering wheel. "Naruto, your sweatshirt is very orange, but it's very you. Sasuke, your hair is fine."

"Just fine?" He asked, raising a single eyebrow.

"Yes, everyone at school was obsessed with it. Everyone thought you were very handsome and so on." She replied, rolling her eyes.

"I was asking for your opinion, not theirs."

"Yeah, Sakura, do you think bastard is good looking?"

She blinked. "I mean, he's not bad looking..." _Who am I kidding…_

"Ok, ok, ok. Would you rather be stuck on a deserted island with me or with Sasuke?"

"Naruto!" She scolded. "That's inappropriate."

"It's just a question." Sasuke replied casually.

"Yeah, just hypothetical."

"It's practically the fucking apocalypse and you're asking me to choose between you two? This isn't going to turn out well, it'll just make things awkward!"

"Ah, so you have chosen someone then." Naruto said sagely.

"Naruto, stop! Sasuke, come on, you're mature." She pleaded.

"Just say it, or else idiot won't shut up."

"I'm not answering the damn question!"

"C'mon, Sakura-chan!"

"No, I-"

Suddenly, there was a large _boom!_ from the tunnels exit, followed by the echoing sound of grinding, crumbling concrete, car alarms, and muffled screams.

"What's going on?" Naruto yelled, teasing forgotten. The people around them stuck their heads out of their cars and yelled similar things.

Sakura frowned, resting her hand on the handgun. "Something's wrong."

"Do you hear that?" Naruto said, peeking past Sasuke and peering off to the front.

A low noise echoed down the tunnel, slowly growing louder and louder, until it grew into a rumbling roar of screams and the pounding of feet.

A wave of people thundered down the tunnel, running past their truck and out towards the entrance. They leaped over cars, panic etched on their face as they sprinted.

"What the hell is this?"

"Stop! What's going on?"

"Run!" A terrified man screamed on their windshield, flecking spit on the window. "The officer! A fake! Explosion! Collapsed the tunnel exit! Run before the tunnel implodes!"

"Let's go!" Sasuke yelled, swinging the door open, smacking an unlucky runner.

Sakura leaped out of the car, stumbling once she hit the ground as people pushed past her. Before she knew it, Sasuke and Naruto were by her side, dragging her to her feet and running.

The trio wove through the cars as people panicked and ran. Bits of tile fell off the walls as a crack crept its way across the ceiling. The boys held her arms, Naruto leading in the front and Sasuke in the back, half dragging her as her shorter legs struggled to keep up.

"Almost out!" Naruto yelled behind him, shoving a path through the crowd and leaping onto a car. "You okay?"

"Fine," She gasped back, hurrying up the vehicle after him, her Converse shoes slipping on the smooth metal.

They jumped, landing hard, nearly knocking over a crying woman carrying a small child. Sakura shouted a frantic "sorry!" as she rushed after the boys, holding hands forgotten.

The trio finally stepped into the sunlight, blinking in the brightness as an ominous grumble came from deep within the tunnel. The car alarms echoed on.

It was a nightmare. Thousands of people stumbled around the streets of Konoha, some merely balancing on the automobiles like rafts in a river of panicked humans. A man tripped, screaming hoarsely as the mob trampled him without a second thought. There was nothing but panic, nothing but the most basic of human instinct to run, _run_, **_run_**_._

They could not stop and help him; no, not without the risk of being pushed to the ground themselves. They were forced to move, feet smacking asphalt, running straight through crosswalks and breaths coming out in short, burning gasps as they wove through their maze of steel and engines.

Suddenly, a roar. Louder than anything Sakura ever heard before; louder than the screaming of the crowd, so loud it drowned it out like a wave.

And then, from the left, a sea – a sea of humans with black eyes and bloody teeth.

The screams crescendoed as the wave of flakies collided with the humans on the street, monstrous hunger tearing apart the slow. They ran; Sakura pulled out her gun with a mechanical movement; beside her, she felt Sasuke do the same.

Sasuke shot behind them as they sprinted, his face covered with sweat from exertion and his hands shaking. The bullets missed.

Sakura cleared the path for them through the front, dodging flakies and panicked humans alike. _We are backtracking_. She noted with distaste as she shouldered her way between people. _We came all this way, and we're fucking going backwards._

"Ammo!" Sakura shouted behind her. "I need ammo!"

Sasuke handed Naruto a full magazine to pass to Sakura, when Naruto's eyes went wide and his fists clenched hard around the bullets. "Hinata!" He yelled, suddenly running off to the left.

"Naruto!" She screamed, snatching him by the hood and holding him back before he could dash away. "What the fuck are you doing?!"

He nearly strangled himself as he pulled to that direction, his eyes never leaving the front. "That girl!" He choked, "We need to save her!"

Sakura looked up, her mind racing, and spotted Neji's petite cousin on the top of some tall SUV, her face pale as infected crawled their way up to her.

"Naruto, we need to move!" She pleaded, "Or all of us are going to die!"

"Stop being a hero." Sasuke growled murderously, "We can't fucking save everyone."

He froze, and turned. To Sakura's surprise, there was a horrified look on Naruto's face; Her stomach swooped down to her feet. "What's wrong with you two?" He snarled, his eyes flashing. "We know her. How could you just… leave her to die?" And with that, he broke free from Sakura's limp fingers and ran.

"Fine." Sasuke huffed, his eyes darting around as he grabbed Sakura's arm. "We need to go. Come on." He said, shooting an infected gnawing on a man at their feet.

"No." Sakura stammered, yanking her arm back, "Naruto's right, Sasuke."

She shoved through the mob, vaguely hearing Sasuke following her as he alternated between frustrated yelling and shooting. She finally caught a glimpse of Naruto, and burst ahead, Sasuke's voice fading in the background. Naruto had somehow procured a baseball bat, and was perched on the hood of the car, smacking infected from the ledge. Hinata alternated between staring at the flakies at her feet and staring at Naruto with something akin to worship in her eyes.

Sakura fired three times, and a particularly resilient and troublesome flakie fell to the ground. Naruto looked up at the noise, and grinned.

She smiled back, ignoring the nagging worry in the back of her head that wondered where Sasuke went. She shrugged it away, and clicked the trigger.

Nothing happened.

Sakura stared up at Naruto, her eyes widening in panic, and he stared back, horror dawning on his face. A flakie spotted her and roared.

With a speed only capable with the adrenaline pumping through her veins, Sakura ran around the SUV as flakies followed closely behind. Naruto tried to smack them from his perch, when Sakura turned the corner of the car and ran straight into a solid chest.

BANG. BANG BANG BANG.

Sakura disentangled herself from Sasuke's torso, opening her mouth to say thanks when he spoke first.

"_What do you think you're doing?_" He snarled, gesturing wildly with his gun and shoving a magazine into her hand. Sasuke's face twisted into a dark expression, warping his good looks. "You're acting like an _idiot_, running off with no ammo to save someone _you don't even know_."

"Hey, BASTARD, remember the roof? I saved your life too, you know!"

"You didn't know me when you saved me!" She burst out indignantly, glaring at Sasuke and ignoring Naruto's comment. "But you did, and we survived!"

"What the fuck are you blabbering about?" He snapped. "I DID know y-"

Suddenly, he was thrown against the side of the van as a large flakie rammed straight into him like a bull, his head slamming into the glass window. Sakura watched in horror as Sasuke's gun fell out of his stunned fingers and the flakie's teeth reached his neck-

She raised her gun.

The flakie's head burst open with a loud _crack!_ from a swing of Naruto's baseball bat, the metal zinging through the air and splitting skull and skin, splattering blood everywhere.

Sasuke crumpled to the ground with the corpse, his face twisted into a grimace of pain as blood flowed down his neck and past the collar of his shirt.

The world seemed to slow down as Naruto leaped down from the perch, yelling as he awkwardly caught Sasuke; then the world turned sideways as blood pounded through her head, whooshing through her eardrums until the sounds of panicked screaming and gunshots were drowned out.

She gaped at Sasuke, who was staring straight ahead with a strange, blank expression, one hand on the back of his head and the other on his neck. "Are you okay?" She screamed. "Did he bite you?"

"Yes." He snarled, moving his hand from his head. Her breath caught in her throat. "I can't tell if he broke skin though." He shouted. Sakura's stomach lurched at the red staining his hands.

"Sakura! There's-"

She spun around and, with a precision that surprised herself, shot an incoming flakie right between the eyes. Behind her, the other girl jumped down, stepping towards Sasuke hesitantly, until he snarled something at her. Naruto's metal baseball bat clinked against the road.

"Naruto! Cover me!" She yelled, slapping her gun in his hand and kneeling next to Sasuke.

He tilted his head to the side, exposing his pale neck as the beginnings of a nasty, teeth-marked bruise began. Sakura stared down at the injury, trying to wipe away blood as she chanted a steady stream of curse words.

"Well?" Sasuke demanded, his voice strained.

"I don't know." She replied, swallowing thickly. "I can't tell where the blood is coming from."

"There's a cut on my head." He said slowly, as Naruto smashed another flakie. "Perhaps from there."

"Must be!" She said with false cheer, a fake smile stretching widely on her face. "Anyway, people don't turn right away… takes over an hour, right …?" She rambled semi-hysterically, her voice trailing off.

"We need to get out of here." Naruto yelled, slamming a flakie in the face with the bat, its skull crunching in. "We don't have a car and we have nowhere to go."

Sakura bit her lip, leaning with her back against the van as her eyes flickered around, watching for potential threats. Luckily, the people and the flakies were beginning to thin out, as humans fled in all different directions and flakies followed. "It's getting dark and we can't even travel, but we can't stay close to here because of all the Infected." She grimaced. "What do we do?"

Another pause.

"I-I know someplace we m-might be able t-to stay." The dark haired girl stammered out suddenly, looking pale. "I have a friend who has an apartment nearby. He is in Suna for the month."

"Is it far, Hinata-chan?"

"N-no."

"Will we even be safe?" Sakura questioned, motioning around her. "Look at how many there are just here."

"Humans are spreading out. And more of _them_ are coming." Sasuke muttered, standing up and flicking blood off his hands.

Hinata blushed under the questioning and the pressure, while Naruto looked thoughtful. "I don't think we've got a choice." He said. "We need somewhere to stay, now. It's getting dark, we need to look at Sasuke's… injuries, and we've been moving for ages.

"T-that's r-right." Hinata agreed quietly.

"Let's go then." Sakura said snatching up Sasuke's fallen gun and tossing it to Hinata, who caught it, then dropped immediately with a squeak once she noticed what it was. Sasuke's expression darkened when he realized he was unarmed.

They ran, jumping over still bodies and sprinting with the rest of the escaping human populating. Thousands of Konoha's residents dispersed from the site of the ruined tunnel, running back into the city, back into the origin of all the violence.

The sky was darkening into a deep red-violet, clouds delicately swooping white over the hues. The sky scrapers and building above them were black, standing over them like sheets of onyx.

Sakura emptied 2 magazines as they ran; she eventually returned to at the rear, pumping bullets into anything that followed, while Naruto and Sasuke hurried infront of her and Hinata led the way, Sasuke's gun held limply in her left hand.

Eventually, there were no more flakies following them, and the distant sound of human cries and screams faded out completely. Hinata took them down hidden alleys and twisting streets, till they were standing in front of a shabby apartment building. Hinata dutifully pressed a code into an old-fashioned metal number pad attached to the empty frame of was once a glass door.

Despite the mess of the door, the building was quiet and empty. A body sat, slumped in a far corner of the lobby, but old, not fresh, based on the dark, browning bloodstains.

They took the stairs, ignoring the elevators completely. Naruto relaxed, his shoulders slumping. Sakura was not relaxed, still holding the handgun firmly with both hands. Hinata's hands were shaking. A muscled twitched in his jaw.

Hinata guided them onto the 7th floor, walking hurriedly down the hall. One apartment had its door flung wide open, a lamp still lit on the table. Another had a small mountain of books infront of it, seemingly thrown there without much thought.

"Here." Hinata whispered, stopping infront of the many apartments in the hall and punched in another code. The door opened with a click.

The apartment was a bizarre mix of sloppy bachelor pad and signs of incredible wealth; a small kitchen with a peeling linoleum floor was to the immediate right. There were hairline cracks on the wall in the living room, which was right infront of the entrance. Loose fibers unraveled themselves from cheap carpet, yet, there was a gorgeous, chocolate brown leather couch and the largest TV Sakura had ever seen packed in the minuscule living area.

Naruto switched on the lights; the overhead ceiling light flickering on. Hinata closed and locked the door behind them.

Sakura stalked silently into the small apartment, gun at the ready, the others following. Nothing in the kitchen and living area.

They crept further, walking through the living room and turning to the right, encountering two closed doors. She and Naruto nodded at each other and opened the doors at the same time, revealing an empty bathroom and bedroom.

With a rather relieved sigh, Sakura and Naruto dumped their backpacks on the carpet. Naruto threw himself on the sinfully comfortable coach.

"Fuck..." Sakura breathed out, placing her handgun on the fancy-looking, wood and wrought-iron dining table infront of the sofa. "Thank Kami the apartment's safe."

Naruto groaned in reply as Hinata gave a short little nod. Sasuke stood ramrod stiff in the living area, his eyes unfocused as he stared at nothing.

"I'm going to look for food." Hinata stammered, giving Sasuke an apprehensive look.

"I'll come with you." Sakura announced, standing up.

"Wait." Sasuke said suddenly, his eyes becoming focused. "Sakura. I need your first-aid kit."

Sakura grimaced and nodded. "Ok. Hinata, can you look for clean, not-Mizukage water for me?" She emptied her backpack, its contents spilling onto the floor, and grabbed the first-aid kit. Sakura marched past Naruto, who was already snoozing lightly on the couch, and Hinata, who was looking in cupboards. Sasuke followed her into the bathroom.

Sakura popped the fasteners on the plastic first aid box and ripped open an anti-septic wipe. "Where is it?"

"Here." He said, leaning the left side of his head down to her eye level.

She wiped the bite-mark, frowning as dried blood came off. "I honestly can't tell if he broke skin." She admitted, tossing the dirty wipe in the trash. "You have a really nasty bruise, but I don't see any scabs or bleeding."

He sighed, closing his eyes. No response. The muscle in his jaw continued to twitch.

Sakura bit her lip as she tried to locate the bleeding cut, parted his hair, and winced at the oozing wound. "Looks like this one is already better. The bleeding has mostly stopped." She said, wiping it gently with a new antiseptic.

"Hn."

"You should probably wash your hands." She continued, but paused. "Do... Do you think the water will be safe?"

"We have all been exposed to tap water and showers for the few days before this, but we didn't turn." He pointed out, his voice a dead monotone.

"Yes, but do you think they might have infected it now?"

He shrugged.

The door pushed open, Hinata meekly peeking through the crack. "I-I found water bottles. They're over a y-year old, so they should be safe, r-right?" She said, handing them both a bottle.

"Yeah, I think so." Sakura said, twisting open her bottle and pouring water on Sasuke's hands over the sink, red washing off his skin. "Thanks, Hinata."

She gave a small smile, her pale eyes crinkling, and backed out of the bathroom.

"I like her." Sakura said out loud as Sasuke dried his hands on a washed out blue hand-towel that had seen better days.

"Hn."

"She's really shy, but I like that about her." Sakura continued absently as she wet the towel and wiped the blood off of Sasuke's face and neck. "I mean, shy people are always listening. I bet they know a lot more about us than we think they do."

"Hn."

"She and Neji seem like complete opposites. They're cousins, right?"

"Hn."

Sakura felt a stab of irritation. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Hn."

She threw the towel viciously, knocking over the owner's cup of toothbrushes and glared at him. "I said, are you listening to me? God, what's your problem?

He glared at her. "Excuse me?"

"You… You think you're so great and you never listen to anyone, you stupid prick. You've been a goddamn asshole for the last hour. You almost left Naruto and Hinata, you nearly got yourself _killed_ and, to top it off, I'm trying to have a simple fucking conversation with you and you just stand there, acting like a goddamn mute-"

"I'm sorry I'm not good at listening to you ramble about your feelings," Sasuke sneered, "but I'm trying to figure out if a drop of infected spit is circulating in my bloodstream and slowly turning me into a monster, and whether or not I should save myself the mystery and just shoot myself now."

"But you're not infected!" She insisted, throwing her hands in the air. "The bite didn't break skin and-"

"You don't _know _that." Sasuke emphasized

"Even if you're infected, how would worrying help anything?" She demanded, eyes narrowing.

"It might be spit." Sasuke continued, ignoring her. "It might be infected blood flying all over the place and landing in a cut or in my mouth. It could be turning me right now and we wouldn't even know it."

"So what," she yelled, hysteria creeping into her voice. "We'll figure it out and it'll all be fine and-"

"No it **_won't_**!" Sasuke roared, backing her into the corner and slamming his hand on the wall above her head. "None of this is _fucking_ _fine_. God, _look at you_, in here with _me_ and _nothing_ to defend yourself with. What if I fucking just _turned_ now and killed you?! You're an absolute idiot!" He stormed out of the bathroom, nearly slamming the door in Sakura's face as she hurried after him.

"Naruto," she screamed as Sasuke dove towards the coffee table. "Don't let him get the gun!"

Naruto, his eyes flying open with a start, tackled Sasuke to the ground as the Uchiha pulled the trigger of the gun, giving a loud _BANG_ as a bullet barely missed Sasuke's head and whizzed into the wall. Hinata screamed, dropping the packets of ramen she was holding as the two boys wrestled on the ground, Naruto trying to regain the gun as Sasuke pushed him away.

Eventually, Sasuke was pinned on his stomach, both arms held to the ground as Naruto ripped the gun out of his hands. "What the _fuck_ is wrong with you?" Naruto growled, sounding angrier than ever before.

"_Get off me, you idiot_." Sasuke shot back, his voice muffled by the carpet. "I'm infected."

"Maybe you are, maybe you aren't. We heard you argue in the bathroom, bastard."

"Kill me then-"

"No!" Naruto yelled, shaking Sasuke against the ground. "None of us are killing anyone, okay? If you're infected, fine, we'll deal with it if it happens. But we are not fucking killing someone if they aren't. Get it that in your stupid head, bastard, before I beat it into you."

"You're going to take your chances? Their chances too?" He shot back, nodding towards Sakura and Hinata, who watched, motionless.

"We'll take our chances." Naruto corrected, before Sakura could protest, shaking him one last time. "All of us."

There was a long moment of tense silence, Naruto still holding Sasuke's head to the filthy carpet as water boiled merrily in a pot on the stove.

Now," Naruto said, breaking the silence. "Hinata is super nice and made us ramen. You're gonna eat it and not try to stupidly kill yourself like a sacrificial moron and waste it, okay?" He let go of Sasuke and stood up slowly. Naruto held out his hand.

"Fine." Sasuke growled, standing and ignoring Naruto's offer. "Only if you keep your gun on you and shoot me if I go crazy."

"Great!" Naruto cheered, switching moods immediately and dancing over to Hinata, who smiled weakly and handed him a steaming bowl. "Thanks Hinata!" he whooped, and practically mashed his face into the food.

But even with Naruto's jovial laughter and jokes, Hinata's quiet giggles, and a stomach full of hot, spicy soup, Sakura couldn't help but feel a palpable tension in the air: a tension where she reloaded the gun and kept it firmly on her side. A tension where Naruto had quietly attached the gun to his belt and always seemed to be standing between Hinata and Sasuke. Sakura knew Sasuke could tell; there was a tightness in his shoulders and fists that wasn't there before

They didn't have to take every chance.

-Operation EDOTENSAI – To Be Continued –

* * *

AN: HEY EVERYONE! Thanks for keeping up with the story! You guys are the best!

I just want to remind everyone to _review_. I know I'm not the best writer, and I would love having some constructive criticism on my prose and use of language. I'm so used to essays and reports... Fiction-writing, not so much.

ALSO, sorry about how I'm a week late. Oops. January is a really bad month for me, so the next chapter might be late as well. I finished writing part one, and starting part two, which is going to be very, very big. So no worries, I haven't abandoned this story.

Thanks again, and happy reading!


	4. 1-4

**Operation EDOTENSAI**

**Part 1 ~ Chapter 4**

Sakura knew something was wrong when Hinata broke a bowl and began to hyperventilate.

They had been checking how much food the apartment contained in the kitchen, while Naruto and Sasuke marched around the apartment, arguing as they looked for an extra weapon for Hinata.

The tears weren't explosive; it was the sort of crying where your chest contracts into an iron lump and your lungs refuse to be controlled and your descent into madness begins with red faced, silent crying, and ends with a headache and a desire to have a blisteringly-hot shower.

Unfortunately, Sakura knew Hinata the least in their little group; Naruto was an old childhood friend, and traveling together for 9 straight hours and not killing each other counted as _something_ with Sasuke, and, as she hastily gathered the ceramic shards of Sasuke's ramen bowl and threw them in the sink, she couldn't help but wish that the quiet Hyuuga was a little more outgoing because she had no idea - _no idea_- how to handle this.

Meanwhile, Hinata had wilted to the floor, thick tears running awkwardly down her face as she leaned on her side, wrapping her arms around herself tightly. Her blue-black hair was splayed out on the linoleum floor of the kitchen, dangerously close to the fallen leftovers of Sasuke's broth. Sakura brushed her hair back quickly.

"Hinata...?" She began hesitantly, gently resting a hand on her shoulder. The girl shook, no sobs or cries as she teared up. "Hey... What's bothering you?" _Aside from a terrorist bio attack and that Sasuke might turn any second and we can't even drink the goddamn water and ugh Sakura you're an idiot what's wrong with you-_

"Neji-" Hinata choked, "I don't know where he is!"

Sakura's stomach dropped to her feet. Crap. They had completely forgotten about Neji with the excitement of Sasuke's injuries and the discovery of hot food.

"Hinata, what happened?" She asked carefully, adjusting herself and sitting cross-legged on the floor.

"We started running-_sniff_- from the tunnel and we got out but one second he was hanging onto me, then he let go and he was gone and I couldn't find him-" she sobbed, "I climbed onto the car to see but then they noticed me and then you came but-" she broke off, inhaling shakily.

"Oh god, Hinata, I'm so sorry." She grimaced, mentally kicking herself. "Do you have any idea where he might be?" Sakura asked slowly.

"We had a plan-"Hinata sniffed "- to meet somewhere if we got separated, but it's so far and it's almost dark."

"Can Neji protect himself?"

"He had father's gun." Hinata whispered.

Sakura had a bad feeling about the whereabouts of Hinata's father, so she stayed silent and didn't press.

"I don't know what to do." Hinata sank even further into the floor.

Sakura patted Hinata's shoulder in a way she hoped was soothing, cursing silently. _We should've known_, she thought guiltily.

The two were silent for a minute, Hinata sobbing quietly while Sakura's mind raced. Could they afford to get Neji?

She glanced at her watch. 8:15. _Its definitely dark. It'll be really dangerous._

She took one more look at Hinata's face and sighed, her resolve hardening.

"Hinata," Sakura said firmly, "Hold on. I'll get Sasuke and Naruto, and we're going to make a plan on how to get your cousin."

Hinata shot up, her pale eyes wide. "Y-you're-" she stammered.

"Here," Sakura threw her a washcloth, "Get cleaned up and I'm going to get Sasuke and Naruto, okay?"

Hinata sniffed and nodded as Sakura walked out the kitchen, following the familiar sounds of Naruto and Sasuke arguing.

"Idiot, you're freaking out over nothing."

"No, look! 'Kiba'. And this one says 'Kiba Inuzuka'! I can't believe Hinata knows him!"

Sakura froze in the doorway of the bed room. "What…" She gasped. "What are you doing?"

"Sakura, look!" Naruto threw what appeared to be a pile of colorful cloth. "Look at the labels!"

She lifted one up, which, upon further inspection, turned out to be a pair of boxers. "Naruto!" Sakura yelped, dropping it immediately. "Why are you going through someone's underwear!? Sasuke!" She said reproachfully.

"What?" He snapped back from the corner. "The idiot does what the idiot wants."

"Its not just _anyone's_ underwear!" Naruto insisted, shoving a heart-dotted boxer in her face. "All the waistbands are labeled 'Kiba Inuzuka!' Famous, rock-star-playboy Kiba Inuzuka! Come on, don't you listen to _Akumaru_? They're like, the best band _ever_!"

"Maybe its just a overzealous fan?" Sakura shook her head. "Naruto, this doesn't make any sense. Why would he be living in a dump like this? And why the hell would he label all his underwear…?"

"I dunno! We should ask Hinata!"

"Ugh, wait." Sakura rubbed her eyes. "We need to talk."

"What about?" Naruto asked, as he and Sasuke followed her out the door.

Sakura hesitated.

"I-I'll tell them, Sakura." Hinata said softly from the couch.

"Hinata!" Naruto flailed as he jumped on the dining table. "You didn't tell us this was Kiba Inuzuka's apartment!"

She blushed. "H-how did you find out?"

"I looked at his underwear!" Naruto burst out before Sasuke or Sakura could intervene.

Hinata blinked, her face turning an even deeper scarlet.

"Naruto, this isn't really the time!" Sakura insisted. "Hinata…"

The shy girl pulled herself together, and mumbled out, "W-we need t-to get Neji."

There was a pause.

"Okay!" Naruto exclaimed, while Sasuke hissed out a "Are you fucking crazy? How? _Where_?"

"N-Neji and I had a plan to meet at Hashirama Senju's statue in the park if we ever got separated." She continued, emboldened by Naruto's acceptance. "W-we decided to meet within 7 hours of our separation. If one of us g-gets there, then waits for the 7 hour t-time, and the other doesn't sh-show up… well, then… m-move on."

"It's been about 2 hours." Sakura said, glancing at her watch. Hinata nodded.

"You are seriously considering this, aren't you." Sasuke said accusingly, glancing at Naruto and Sakura.

"We _know _Neji." Sakura countered. "Hinata's here and we can't let her go alone."

Sasuke sighed. "Alright." He muttered, "But I'm not going."

"Why?" Naruto frowned. "We're all going."

"If I'm…" He drifted off, "I don't want to … turn while we're in the dark."

There was an uncomfortable pause.

"Maybe only one of us should go with her." Naruto said. "The other can stay with Sasuke. Plus two might be faster than three."

"I'll go with Hinata." Sakura offered.

"No." Sasuke snapped.

"What?" She said, exasperated. "We're not leaving you alone!"

Sasuke fell silent, scowling.

Naruto frowned. "No, I'll go with Hinata. I don't want you two getting hurt."

Sakura bristled. "What? Why?"

"I don't want you getting hurt!"

"Well, I don't want _you_ getting hurt either. It's because we're girls, huh. I've been shooting all day and-"

"Naruto's right." Sasuke interrupted.

"Sasuke!" Sakura hissed. "You know I've been shooting more than Naruto-"

"It won't be about aim." He replied slowly, his eyes closed. "Guns are too noisy, and Naruto is physically stronger-"

"Excuse me? Frying pan-"

"-He's stronger, Sakura!" Sasuke growled.

Sakura huffed, her eyes narrowing.

Sasuke ignored her, turning her head to Naruto and Hinata. "So." He said, adjusting the bandage on his head. "When are you leaving?"

* * *

"Matches on the table?" Sakura called, clutching the large candles and a flashlight to her body.

"Yes." Sasuke replied from the bathroom.

She squinted through the darkness, narrowly missing the doorframe and stumbling into the room.

The power had gone out about 15 minutes after Naruto and Hinata left for Konoha Gardens. Although they weren't surprised about the power outage (it was a miracle it stayed on for as long as it did, really), Sakura still tripped around the apartment as she searched for alternate sources of light, having sent every flashlight they found with Hinata and Naruto. It turned out that Kiba Inuzuka didn't own candles, and they had stuffed Naruto's backpack with his 3 flashlights. Eventually, they had ended up raiding the next door apartments for more.

Sasuke had closed himself in the bathroom, insisting she would be screwed if he turned while there was no light source.

Sakura fumbled through the living room, grabbing the pack of matches and awkwardly dropping the scented candles on the fancy dining table, shoving Inuzuka's trash onto the floor. She sat on the couch and flicked a match, the flame burning a deep orange. Sakura lit the candles, the scent of lavender filling the air. "Sasuke," She called. "You can come out now."

The bathroom door opened, and Sasuke stepped out, his pale face colored a warm orange from the candlelight.

"Got your gun?" He asked quietly.

"Yup." She replied as he pulled up a dining chair and plopped it next to the coffee table.

The candlelight reflected from his dark eyes as he stared at the flames. His mouth was set in a tense line and his shoulders were slumped.

Honestly, Sakura didn't know what to think of Sasuke anymore. One moment, he was pleasant, almost _nice, _the next…

"Are you alright, Sakura?" Hinata had asked as she and Naruto packed in the kitchen.

"Yeah," she had mumbled, handing Naruto one of Inuzuka's black, fur-lined coats.

"Sasuke's kinda stressed out right now, y'know?" Naruto had said, smiling. "Don't take anything he says by heart."

"He's just so… condescending."

"Just… try to see it from his side. He thinks he's gonna turn – but he's not!" Naruto had put in quickly. "But I'd be scared too if I were him."

_Yeah, _Sakura thought wryly as she lit the last candle, _I guess I'd be scared shitless too._

And, as Sakura studied this boy, this man, with his sneers and biting remarks, dark hair and dark eyes, she couldn't help but feel a cold stab of fear that he might be right, that something foreign was growing inside his body and infecting his brain, and that hours of fighting together and running together and living together might be taken away forever. That any moment, this person she grew to both respect and despise might die, possibly by her very hand.

As Sakura studied Sasuke, she was scared.

* * *

"-_currently awaiting a response from Wind Country and the Fire Country Intelligence and Combat Agency, FICA. We -"_

"J."

"Nope."

"L."

"No."

"K."

"Damnit."

_"-Chief Kakashi."_

_"Thank you, Tsunade. Citizens of Konoha. There are a number of imposter policemen-"_

"A-K-U… What the hell is this?"

"Come on, its obvious!"

"Just tell me. This is stupid."

"The word was 'Akumaru', Sasuke."

"What the hell is an 'Akumaru'."

_"-Akatsuki agents killing our men and stealing uniforms. We cannot disclose our current location out of fear that imposter survivors-"_

"Its Kiba Inuzuka's band! Did you live under a rock or something?

"Sakura, I don't even know who Kiba whatever is."

_"- use common sense. Stay safe. Stay in at night and-"_

"Just pick a word."

"This is stupid. I'm not playing."

"Are you kidding me? Hangman requires next to no effort. Stop being such a baby and-"

"Stop, Sakura. Listen."

"What?"

"Radio. Listen."

_"-experiments show that the victim of a bite will turn from between one to seven hours. After the mental degeneration sets in, physical changes begin within one to two hours and-"_

"Its 10:03."

"…Three and a half hours left, then."

"Yeah." She swallowed thickly. _Three and a half hours until we know._

* * *

"Ha!" Sakura yelled, slamming her cards down. "Royal Flush!"

Sasuke sighed, sweeping up the cards and shuffled the deck with a smooth dexterity. "Do your worst." He said glumly.

"Um, okay. What's your favorite color?"

Sasuke gave her a half-exasperated, half-amused look. "You would."

"What?"

"_You_ dragged me into this dumb game. Only you would ask such a... stupid question like that." He snorted. "Don't you think we did enough of that 'getting to know you' shit at the beginning of the school year?"

"I'm not going to demand your deepest, darkest secrets through a card game." Sakura grumbled back. "Plus, I bet you're not even going bother asking anything if you win."

"I'd rather play plain poker." Sasuke said dryly, handing her 5 cards.

"But there's no threat. No stakes! Poker's pointless without stakes!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Black."

"Black?" She replied, incredulous. "_Black_? Black isn't a color, it's a _shade._" She said in a lofty tone, handing him to cards to trade in.

"My mistake." He muttered sarcastically. "Two pairs." He said, dropping his cards on the table.

"Damnit. I only have one." Sakura frowned, and sighed. "Ask me a question. Do it. 'Do your worst.'" She echoed mockingly.

"What's _your_ favorite color?" He smirked.

"Green."

"Not pink?"

"Definitely not pink."

"…Is it real or dyed?" He asked seriously.

"Believe it or not, it's real. Maybe I was exposed to radioactive gunk or something as a baby."

"That would explain a lot of things." Sasuke deadpanned.

There was a pause, as Sakura realized, blinking with surprise, that _he was making a joke_. "…Hey!" She wacked him on the shoulder, and his lips twitched up into a smirk. While Sakura fumed on the outside, inwardly, she was relieved.

Her distractions were working; he was smiling (sort of), even though, in moments of silence, a dark shadow would pass over his face, and he'd stare at her gun a little too intensely or touch the bruise on his neck.

"Fold." Sasuke said smoothly, flicking down his cards.

"Fold?" Sakura growled. "You just don't want to ask a question, do you?" She pointed at him accusingly.

He raised an eyebrow. "I lost, ask a question."

"Why are you such a jerk?"

"That's hypothetical, doesn't count." Sasuke said dismissively.

She glared at him. "Fine. Um… what were you majoring in?"

"Econ."

Sakura wrinkled her nose. "Why?"

He sighed. "Econ," he said, "is more than just stocks and bonds. It's the study of wants and needs. People just happen to really want and need money."

There was a pause.

_God,_ Sakura thought, bewildered, _did he just romanticize economics?_

"You're really weird, Sasuke." Sakura muttered as she snatched the cards out of his hands and cleared her throat. "You wanted to be a business man or something?"

"Hn." He almost seemed amused.

They shuffled around their cards.

"I have nothing." Sakura sighed.

Sasuke flashed her his hand; a pair of 4's peeked out on the right. "What were you studying?"

"Biochem. Pre-med, basically."

"Hn. Doctor?"

"Maybe. Hopefully, when everything gets back to normal."

Sasuke's mouth twisted into a frown. "I doubt anything will be 'normal' again."

"Sasuke…"

He shuddered, his hands gripping the armrests of the chair until his knuckles turned white. Sasuke sat silent for a while, then, eventually, spat out, "This is torture. Waiting like this."

"It's already 10:42." Sakura pleaded, reaching out and placing a hand on his.

"Don't touch me." He snapped, whipping his hand back as though he was burned. "You and Naruto and Hinata, you're idiots for keeping me alive."

She swallowed, staring at the cards strewn across the table, words of comfort dying lamely in her mouth.

Sasuke grimaced as his hand fisted in his dark hair. "I don't want to die, Sakura."

_I don't want you to die either, _she thought, but couldn't bring herself to say it. _I'm sure you'll be fine_, she thought next, but couldn't bring herself to believe it, after thinking of Idate and the ill-fated police officer.

_Tell him to stop being such a pussy._ A voice whispered in the back of her head. She shoved the voice away.

"Keep playing." She said eventually, sweeping up the cards and giving him a tight, but genuine, smile.

He didn't respond, staring at the blank, cracked white wall behind her head.

"Sasuke." She insisted, cards clutched in her outstretched hand. "Even if… if you are… Well, I want to get to know you. I want us to be friends. Don't think about it; there's only a few more hours. Please, Sasuke."

Silence stretched on. Sakura sat, an uncomfortable mix of uneasiness and dread churning in her stomach as he remained quiet. Just when she was going to apologize and excuse herself to the bedroom to give him privacy, Sasuke slowly reached out and took the cards, staring blankly at his hand.

They traded cards in complete silence, the light humor of the previous rounds forgotten.

As Sakura picked up her last traded card, Sasuke tilted his hand down, exposing a trio of kings.

"I only have a pair of 8's." She replied. "You don't have to ask a question if you don't want to…"

"God." Sasuke said curtly. "Do you believe in God."

She blinked. "Er… Well. Maybe. I don't know. Father wasn't religious but things might have been different if he was."

"Mother?"

She smiled faintly. "My mother's dead."

He glanced up, surprised. "For a while, then."

"Yeah. She died when I was a baby."

"Aa." He said in response, picking up new cards. "Sorry." He added, like an afterthought.

_Sasuke_, Sakura thought as she stared down at her hand, _is a good dealer._ He handled and shuffled the deck with an unfocused ease, as if his hands knew what to do without even engaging his mind.

She arranged her cards. Pair of 6's. He angled his down. Pair of Jacks.

Apparently, Sasuke had noticed his win. "How did your mother die?"

"A bit blunt, are we?" Sakura sniffed.

He said nothing and shrugged.

"My mom had HIV, which turned into AIDS." She said, suddenly finding her blue Converse shoes very interesting. "They actually didn't find out until they did bloodwork because she was pregnant with me. Father didn't have it. The transmission rate is actually quite low. She either cheated on my father, or got it from one of her old ex's before she dated him." She grimaced. "Father was convinced she cheated. They were actually beginning the divorce process when my mother died. He and I are lucky though. We're not infected. For Mother though… Everything went wrong in a year."

Sasuke looked thoughtful, rather than sympathetic, or worse, pitying. "Is that why you study medicine?"

"I don't think so." Sakura frowned. "I've wanted to be a doctor for as long as I can remember. I didn't find out about mother until a few years ago. All I knew was that she was sick."

Sasuke grunted in reply, reaching down and grabbing a box of cereal from the floor. He tossed her the cereal.

"Thanks." She popped open the box (_Gamakichi's Starchy-Sugar Crunch! Bound to make you hop!)_ and shoved a few toad-shaped pieces in her mouth. "Want some?"

He gave the box a disdainful look.

"Nevermind, then."

"…Another round?"

"Sure," Sakura chirped, "but do you mind if I get something to drink first? I'm thirsty."

Sasuke shrugged and they shuffled to the kitchen.

"It's getting a lot colder without power." Sakura shivered, wrapping the khaki trench coat around her.

He hummed an agreement, handing her a flashlight.

"Do you want anything?" Sakura asked, grabbing a waterbottle and (after checking the 'date bottled') opening it with a quiet _crack_.

Sasuke shook his head and leaned on the opening of the kitchen as Sakura sipped her waterbottle, flashlight perched on a toaster.

"Sakura," Sasuke said eventually, "Where is your father?"

"Mm?"

He gave her a hard stare. _Don't act dumb_.

She smiled, half-annoyed, half-amused. "What made you ask that?"

"You were at the University when everyone already ran off, and you never called anyone."

"I could've called someone before you met me."

"You didn't even try to keep your cellphone."

She sighed. "Alright, alright. My father's in FICA."

"…Really?" Sasuke seemed surprised. "The Fire Country Intelligence and Combat Agency?"

Sakura nodded. "He's pretty high up, I guess. I haven't seen him in… mm… over a year? He always has to stay on base at Kisaragi Village for FICA. We aren't that close. You done asking about my familial life?"

"Mm." He muttered. "I had a few relatives in FICA."

"Really? Maybe they know eachother."

"Knew." Sasuke corrected. "They're dead."

"Oh. Sorry."

Sasuke shrugged, grabbing a bottle of water for himself as Sakura crunched on more cereal. Then-

"It hurts." Sasuke said lowly.

She froze. "What?"

"The bite." He muttered. "It… aches."

"Have you been touching it?" She asked sharply. "The skin is definitely irritated; its bruised and probably swelling. Pain is normal."

"You _know_ what I think." Sasuke growled.

"Yeah, I do, and I disagree. In the end, I'm the one with the gun, okay? I'm not going to fucking hurt you."

"That could change." He replied menacingly.

Sakura placed a hand on the gun and glared back. "I'm not scared of you. Eat some damn food and calm down."

"I bet your mom knew she had AIDS."

She blinked. "_Excuse me?_"

"I think she cheated on your dad. A diseased whore."

"This," Sakura said coldy," Is hardly the time and place to talk about my dead mother's sexual history. I know what you're trying to do, Sasuke, and it won't work." She sighed. "Sasuke, I've always been honest with you. Be honest with me-"

"**Quiet**." He interrupted urgently, his gaze locking onto the door to the apartment behind her.

"What," Sakura said sharply, "Did you hear something?"

He nodded, still frozen.

"Is it them?" She said, excited, running to the apartment door as it opened swiftly-

-only to face the black barrel of a rifle, pointing right between her eyes.

"Hands up." The owner of the rifled ordered, walking forward and forcing Sakura to back further into the apartment as 3 other men marched through the door.

They were dressed in heavy, black combat attire, complete with thick jackets and pants, boots, helmet, goggles and black cloth masks with flashlights attached to their rifles and their helmets.

Sakura raised her hands. "Are you the police?" She asked weakly, desperately trying to think of a way to pull out the gun on her thigh.

"Not quite." The man replied. Another pulled out a plastic zip tie and fastened her hands together. "Sit down. You struggle, we shoot."

From her spot on the floor, Sakura watched as Sasuke was dragged out of the kitchen by the two other men, his hands tied and his eyes burning with anger. He was shoved down to his knees a few feet away from Sakura.

"You okay?" Sakura whispered as the men zip-tied her feet. He growled something she couldn't hear.

One of them checked the bathroom and the bedroom. "Area secure." He barked.

"Good. Area is secure, sir." Another yelled outside the apartment.

"Excellent. Alpha, Delta, comb the building for resources. You two, stay with me." Came a reply from the outside hallway.

After two of the men left, a shadowy figure appeared in the doorway and glided into the room.

It was a young man, wearing the same clothes as the other, sans helmet, goggles and mask, with the assault rifle strapped to his back. He had long, dark hair, with bags under his black eyes and a pale, almost elegant, face. Actually, Sakura thought, bewildered, he looked a lot like-

"Sasuke." The man said smoothly, as Sasuke choked in shock beside her. "Hello, foolish little brother."

-Operation EDOTENSEI – To Be Continued -

* * *

Hey everyone,

It's been a little while, hasn't it haha. Please remember to review! I would love some constructive criticism and suggestions; I can only improve if I learn, after all.


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